As a participant at the recent RISC-V Summit in Shanghai, I witnessed firsthand the sheer scale and unwavering resolve with which China is strategically investing in and developing its domestic RISC-V ecosystem. 

RISC-V China

RISC-V Summit China Opening Panel (Credit: RISC-V SOPIC)

It was an immersive experience that underscored the nation’s profound commitment to technological independence, driven by both aspiration and geopolitical necessity. While the sheer volume of Chinese presentations made following every detail challenging, the overarching narrative was unmistakably clear: China is not just participating in the RISC-V evolution; it is striving to be a key player in its revolution. 

The mandate from Beijing was to aim for self-reliance

What struck me immediately was the unmistakable depth of government support, both at the local and national levels.

The Shanghai City Council, for instance, is investing substantial resources in RISC-V initiatives, a commitment that is evident in the ambitious projects announced. 

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During the summit, Shi Huikang, Deputy Director of the Department of Electronic Information Industry (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology), articulated a vision where RISC-V isn’t merely an alternative, but a “pivotal technology” for China, crucial for unlocking new opportunities and asserting a greater global impact. 

Indeed, the claim that China accounts for 50% of global RISC-V “shipments” speaks volumes about its current footprint. 

This is backed by a substantial economic commitment across all governmental tiers and is also accompanied by the execution of a long-term, sustainable technology plan, which is visibly accelerating their development process. This isn’t just about economic growth; it’s a profound strategic imperative, particularly in light of external technological restrictions.

EDA and manufacturing are forging the chains of independence

A cornerstone of China’s strategy is its aggressive push for self-sufficiency in critical areas, such as Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools and semiconductor manufacturing. 

The emergence of a domestic champion, Univista, now the second-largest EDA tools vendor in China, is a remarkable achievement. Its market entry was so impactful that, as I learned from its Vice President, Wu Xiaozhong, Synopsys reportedly halved its prices in China to compete. 

China RISC-V

Univista’s Wu Xiaozhong during the Summit (Credit: RISC-V SOPIC)

Some Chinese processor development companies are already relying on Univista’s solutions for tasks such as emulation. This domestic capability is vital, given past experiences where access to crucial software was restricted.

Furthermore, China is making significant investments in infrastructure for EDA tools and equipment to bolster its entire production chain. While they acknowledge challenges with the most advanced nodes, there’s a practical focus on manufacturing capabilities at the 14-nanometer node, deemed suitable for demanding applications like automotive electronics. 

This pragmatic approach is underpinned by the understanding that producing below 10nm is expensive and prone to higher failure rates without the most cutting-edge lithography technology.

Cultivating talent to build the future

Perhaps the most potent aspect of China’s long-term strategy lies in its unwavering commitment to talent development. 

The Shanghai Open Processor Industry Innovation Center (SOPIC) stands as a testament to this, with the development of a specialized RISC-V training program involving twelve universities, poised to graduate nearly 900 engineers annually. 

They are making significant investments in fostering young talent by developing open-source tools and IPs for use in universities and specialized courses. This strategy ensures that students gain early proficiency in software, hardware, and tool development and transition rapidly into productive industry roles, thereby shortening the entire production process. 

It was also remarkable to see the presence of students during the summit, not only as part of the attendance but also actively participating in booths and posters presentations.

The China playbook

The operational philosophy I observed champions rapid innovation and a fast “time to market” strategy, which involves creating minimal viable products and testing them in real-world environments to gather genuine customer feedback. 

It will be very interesting to see if this agile approach, which has proven successful in consumer electronics, will be extended to high-performance computing (HPC) systems. 

Now, China, in line with other countries’ tech strategies, is investing in growing and strengthening the entire ecosystem around AI. This means pushing hard for high-performance to enable advanced infrastructures, with a special interest in matrix acceleration and the software stack.

A prime example of domestic innovation is SOPHGO, which has developed the SG2042, China’s most powerful commercial HPC processor with 64 cores, and is on the verge of releasing a new version supporting Vector Extension 1.0.

Furthermore, the emphasis on open-source solutions is a deliberate strategic choice for achieving technological independence. The development of several custom Linux-based operating systems exemplifies this commitment. 

This pivot to open architectures is a direct response to the risk of external entities blocking access to or revoking licenses for crucial technologies, ensuring their destiny remains firmly in their own hands. My observation is that China is very close to achieving technological independence.

This long-term perspective is also reflected in investment strategies, with entities like Capital Investment focused on nurturing industrial development. What truly stands out is their long-term commitment to research and development, providing a platform to support companies through all life cycle stages, even embracing and supporting failure as a learning opportunity—a stark contrast to more risk-averse approaches seen elsewhere.

Navigating the global ecosystem and collaboration

While there’s an expressed desire to “strengthen bridges” globally, the practical realities at the summit presented some challenges for international collaboration. The fact that most of the event content and slides were in Chinese made engagement difficult for non-Chinese speakers. 

Reverting this situation in future events would incentivize deeper and more fruitful interactions. However, in contrast to the technical program, the exhibition area was more open to international conversations, as there was always someone available to interact in English at every booth. 

Some domestic companies, such as Sophon, have genuinely expressed interest in fostering connections and collaborating with European entities, signaling potential avenues for genuine partnerships.

In conclusion, China’s multifaceted strategy for RISC-V is comprehensive and deeply resourced, aiming not just for participation but for technological leadership and self-sufficiency. 

The combination of strong government backing, aggressive talent development, strategic investments in critical infrastructure such as EDA and manufacturing, a pragmatic embrace of open-source solutions, and innovation positions China as a formidable force in the global semiconductor landscape.  

The implications for international competition and collaboration will undoubtedly continue to evolve rapidly.